1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that executes a predetermined process on a sheet with an image formed thereon, and a printer driver program installed in and executed by a host computer in order to allow the image forming apparatus to form images.
2. Related Background Art
Sheet post-treatment equipment is connected to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copier or a laser beam printer to execute a binding process or the like on papers discharged by the image forming apparatus. The sheet post-treatment equipment shifts sheet guides of a post-treatment section to a position corresponding to the size of a group of papers to be discharged, and then executes the binding process or the like by causing the sheet guides to align sheets discharged by the image forming apparatus.
The sheet post-treatment equipment connected to the image forming apparatus automatically post-treats papers discharged by the image forming apparatus and then bind (or staple) them. However, for the convenience of a user and the effective use of the sheet post-treatment equipment, it is desirable to have a function of allowing the user to insert papers directly into the sheet post-treatment equipment and then manually start post-treatment.
However, after the user has inserted the papers into the sheet post-treatment equipment and before the user gives an instruction for post-treatment, in order to manually start the post-treatment, if another user starts an image forming operation in the image forming apparatus, the inserted papers are mixed with papers discharged by the image forming apparatus, inside the sheet post-treatment equipment. This raises such a problem that it is impossible to manually start the post-treatment. Further, these papers, lying in the sheet post-treatment equipment, must be removed. This is cumbersome.